Christmas Phone Calls!!

We had a wonderful visit with Landon at 12:00 noon our time on Christmas Day. He called on Christmas Eve to set up the exact time and had just had dinner with some investigators. On Thursday, he was with some members and sounded so good. He was able to get his phone cards down there and call right through! Isn't technology just a miracle?! Anna and Curt and their kids were here. Amy, Brady and Alyvia and of course Dad and Brian and I. He sounded like he is busy and loving the work. What a blessing and a wonderful gift to be able to hear his voice through little tiny wires!! What a great time to be alive and to be a missionary!!

A Special Christmas Message...

Enjoy...and Remember

Sand Angels?

Well Family I´m going to end this email, but just remember that I love you all and can´t wait to hear your voices THURSDAY. Have a great Christmas week and enjoy the snow day. Maybe I will have to go roll around in the sand and pretend that its snow, ha ha, yup, I´ll just have to do that. Love you all and I´ll talk to yáll later. Thanks Guys!

Better Belated Than Never!

HEY MOM, don´t you worry i did not forget your birthday but Elder Evans is giving me a hard time because i didn´t say anything to you before the big day, but I am definitely saying somthing after the big day. I hope you had a very specail day Mom. I love you tons and I was thinking of you on the 19th. You are such a great example to me mom and love the support and encouragement you all give me. I can´t wait to talk to you thursday but until then, remember that I love you. Oh yeah i almost forgot HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Your Son,

Elder Schofield

Update on Manuel...

This week went a bit smoother than the rest but we still have a few bumps to smooth out. Just a little update with Manuel. He accepted a baptismal date and will get baptized the 10th of January. He along with another one of our investigators will be the first ones to get baptized in the new Chapel.

Christmas Fireside-Peruvian Style!

Saturday night our zone along with the support of President Alarcon, put together a New Member/Investigator fireside. We invited as many people as we could to come and enjoy a special night of Christmas Stories and experiences along with conversion stories. We invited President Perez, The Lima Peru Temple President, as well as Elder Loli (member of the area Seventy). They all came and shared some very special stories from their personal lives and how they came to know the truth. All of us missionaries formed a choir and sang “Oh Holy Night”, with Santa hats and everything. It was really a great night but it was really neat to see our investigators and new converts really get a feel for the true meaning of Christmas and to feel the spirit.

Christmas Call is Coming!!

I am seriously having a hard time believing that it is already time to talk to you all again over the phone. TIME IS FLYING! I am going to get the phone call business out of the way first so that I can fill you all in on what went down this past week. I will be making my pre-call Wednesday around six o´clock your time, which means 8 o´clock my time. So from there we will be to setting up the time and all that good staff. I can´t wait to talk to you all and please please please make sure that Anna and Curt, Amy and Brady, and the kids are all there. I can´t wait to chat with everyone for a bit. Have your questions ready and your thoughts organized because a little Peruvian missionary will be making a call home.

My Testimony of Prayer Has Grown

This past week we had a bit of a surprise baptism. We had been teaching a man by the name of Javier for the longest time. This guy is a future bishop and for the longest time has wanted to get baptized. He family got baptized about a month ago but he couldn´t get baptized because he has been working in another part of Peru and is only home for about two days and then leaves for several weeks at a time. This past week he got home and we told him that if he felt comfortable and wanted to do it, we could get him baptized and confirmed this week. He was more than excited, so Saturday we got him baptized and right alter the Bishop confirmed him. This is when it gets really neat. When he stood up Saturday to give his testimony he shared with us that he has been praying and fasting for the longest time so that he would be able to be home for Christmas, have the opportunity to get baptized, and begin taking the steps to get to the Temple. He bore his testimony that God hears and answers prayers. He know that God wanted him to get baptized and spend this special time of the year with his family and he made it happen.

Before the mission I didn´t have a very strong testimony with respect to prayer. But I just want you all to know that when I pray God hears me, and when I ask he answers. By this simple yet powerful form of comunicación we are able to talk with our living Heavenly Father who only wants to know how we are doing and what he can do for us. I find so much comfort in that and love being able to talk to him about anything at anytime.

So my new Penionista and family is really great. We actually live at one end of their house so in order to eat in the mornings and nights we just have to opened up a door and walk on in. I must say its not to bad of a deal. It defiantly beats walking several blocks both ways to get to the Pensionista´s house. They have one son, Jefferson, and he is twelve years old. He is always asking us to make visits with him to members of his deacons quorum that aren’t attending church. They are a great family and I’m pretty sure we will be spending Christmas with them this year.

Well Family just remember how much you are loved by a Missionary here in Beautiful Lima Peru. I love you guys and appreciate all that you are doing for me. I defiantly love every moment of the mission, the good and tough times. This is the Lords work and no matter what happens, it will always go forth. Love you Tons.

Swedish Cake or Paneton.....Swedish Cake!!

Just for the record, Paneton has nothing over Swedish cake. I would take Swedish cake over Paneton any day of the week.

Matrimonio Massivo!

Our Stake and the Mayor of Puente Piedra and organizing a Matrimonio Massivo for January and we are busy getting people ready. We have one couple that is going to get married and they are the Tuctor Family. We met them by knocking their door and when we first met them they were going through a really tough time. We were able to teach them the importance of Marriage and if they were to get married they would be able to work together towards a single goal. Like Elder Nelson says “Marriage is when God takes two imperfect people and puts them together to achieve a single Goal”. They realized that this would be the best thing for their family as well as themselves. Yesterday we had a big meeting with President Alarcon (Stake President of Puente Piedra who was mentioned in Conference) to get the marriage organized and all that fun stuff. It looks as if we will be marrying 20 couples!

Something Big Is Going to Happen!

This past week I had a work visit with one of my Zone Leaders Elder Pratt. The entire day was full of appointments but one by one each and every appointment fell through. It’s normal that one or two appointments fall through but I got a large dose of disappointment that day. After every appointment I just turned to Elder Pratt and told him “Something Big is going to Happen”. I said it to him a lot that day. But at the end of the day Ssomething Big Happened. I bet we had made a mission record for contacts in one day but I’m glad we did because in the midst of all the disappointments and contacts we found the one. We knocked on the door of Manuel and we got to talking with him. He had told us that sometime ago a friend of his gave him a book (The Book of Mormon) and he read it and loved it. After reading he had some questions but didn’t know who to talk to or where he could go to find out more about the Church. We taught him more about where The Book of Mormon came from and invited him to pray. Since then he is progressing right along and is really excited about continuing with the church. I was sure glad we ended on that note because I’m not going to lie, It Was A Hard Long Day! It was one of those Tester Days, when the Lord tries to see what you are made of and I just pray that we gave him something to be proud of.

A New Temple Announced in Peru!

The First Presidency made this announcement today! There will be a new temple built in Trujillo, Peru. Trujillo is north of Lima. Landon has a relative, Mitch Withers, who is serving in Trujillo. Check out his blog at http://elderwithers.net/. (Elder Withers' dad, Gary, is Landon's mom's cousin.) How exciting to see the growth of the church in this area of the Lord's vineyard!

Paneton!!

Everyone is getting excited and bustling around for the holiday season. It sounds like we are both going to have a snow-less Christmas. Remember how before I left for the mission I accompanied the Spanish speaking Elders and one of their investigators gave us some Peruvian Fruitcake. Well the first time I will have to admit I wasn't a fan and even when we ate it in the CCM and didn't think to much of it, but now I have eaten so much of it I will have to admit that I kind of like it. It's called Paneton and everyone year during December and Christmas the Peruvians eat lots and lots along with hot chocolate. So when I get home I might have to look into finding some place that sells Paneton back in the states. You guys should look for it and give it a try, let me know how that goes. (We were able to find this special treat at Costco in Twin Falls! Lani was an instant fan and it is growing on the rest of us!)

I love you all so much and am so thankful for all of your encouragement and prayers. Tell everyone hey and that I am thinking of them. Thanks for Everything!

"I know that my family will be together forever too"

We completed the Mori Family this past weekend with the baptism of their oldest daughter Vanessa. She is 14 years old and for the longest time didn't want anything to do with the church or even the Elders that were teaching her parents. She was going to the Jehovah Witnesses for the longest time and was actually getting ready to be baptized there. Our first couple of days in the area we focused a lot with her and I remember our first visit with her after the baptism of her parents. She ready with her in the Book of Mormon and taught her the importance of Baptism by Priesthood Power and the spirit whispered to her that this is what she needs to do. We felt impressed to challenge her to get baptized the 6th of December and she accepted. The baptismal service went extremely well even though the water in the font was really chilly. Like I always say, my favorite part of the service is when the baptismal candidate has the chance to bear their testimony. Vanessa bore her testimony about the family and how she new that her family is going to be together forever. To myself I was thinking, "I know that my family will be together forever too".

Challenges and Trials are just opportunities to show the Lord Who We Really Are

The Mission is really an interesting thing. Just when you think you know how things should be done or the way you should work day to day, the Lord quickly humbles you and straightens you out.

The past week we had our fair share of challenges, trials, and disappointments but that is just what they are, nothing more and nothing less. The challenges that we face here in the mission are unlike those that I have ever faced before, but at the same time the attitude that I need to overcome is what I have learned long before the mission. Challenges and Trials are just opportunities to show the Lord Who We Really Are. The way we endure what gets thrown at us defies who we are and as a result, shows the Lord that we trust and love him. Even though the road is a little bumpy, it's only for a time and this great work will just keep on keeping on. Thank you so much mom for those great words of encouragement. They gave me a lot to think about and to put things into perspective. The Lord has a lot of trust in us (Elder Zamora and I) and I know there is a reason we are together. Even though it is hard to understand at times, the Lord teaches us so many valuable lessons when he makes us suffer a bit. But don't you worry about a thing, I will just keep on Keeping on!

A Different Kind of Thanksgiving

I was so glad to hear that your Thanksgiving went great and that the entire family was able to get together. Tell Amy that I was proud of her "boxing out" skills with the early morning shopping. Needless to say, here in Peru Thanksgiving isn’t recognized like it is back home. Thanksgiving has definitely got to be my favorite holiday because I love getting together with the Family. Being away from everything for so long has really made me grow to appreciate the little things in life, especially the moments I spent with family and friends. Out of all the things I miss the most, would be spending time will all of you guys. I am so thankful for all of the love and support you all have shown to me. Thanks for everything. Love you all!

PS I’m keeping my eyes out for the wood carved nativity sets but I haven’t had any luck yet.

The Lord Has Prepared His Children

This past week Elder Zamora and I found a lady by the name of Angelica. She is about 75 years old and has a heart condition that doesn’t allow her to walk very well. She is always in her house and we met her when we knocked on her door. She invited us in without hesitation (which is very rare here in Lima) and was willing to listen to the message. We taught about the Book of Mormon and together we read 3 Nefi 11. When we taught about how Christ gave the Priesthood to the people here in the Americas so that they could be baptized correctly I felt as though she needed to be challenged to be baptized. After I read verse which tells that those who are baptized will receive eternal life, I looked at her and she had tears running down her face. I challenged her to be baptized the 27 of December and she accepted. She told us that for the longest time she has been looking for the peace and comfort that she just felt from our message. Angelica reminds me alot of Grandma with her smile and her attitude to do the things that need to get done. Every day my testimony grows by seeing the way the Gospel changes and blesses lives. It hurts when people don’t want to accept or listen to the only thing that bring the happiness and peace that will last forever, but the Lord has prepared his children and he shows them to us.

The District that I am in charge of is really pretty neat. I am in charge of 6 missionaries and also the missionaries that are in my first area of Miramar, so when I do work visits there I will be right at home. The whole District Leading responsibility is going great and its crazy all of the little things that get thrown at you. I am learning and receiving a large dose of Patience but I guess that’s what I need. The Lord definitely knows better that I do.

One Year Already!!

Wednesday night I got a little phone call from Elder Evans. He said to me " Well Hello There Elder Schofield...........ah..............Happy One Year To You". It was really kinda awkward and random but wow, I ALREADY HAVE A YEAR. Only one year down and yet a whole lot of work yet to do. It’s crazy to think that I have been away from home for a year already, away from everything that I am use to, and everyone I love but that’s the way it goes, especially here in the mission. Here´s to another 12 months!!!